The Dallas daily herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1887, 1887-10-04

The Lights OF Moscow, Russia.
BY d. N. Richardson, Editor Davenport
To-, Democrat.
What are the sights Of Moscow A
great bronze cannon that cannot be
fired; monster bell that cannot be
rung. The former, weighing forty tons,
is here for you to crawl into; was here
before the pilgrims sailed-its deep,
wide-open mouth forever dumb. DO
you remember Webster spelling book
that used to bother much our snarly
pates, and keep us all too near the
loot OF that hated daily spelling classf
Well, anyhow, among the one-line
statements that it made you may
have chung to this: "Thegreat bell OF
Moscow weighs two hundred ard
twenty thousand pounds" That
beat the boys We knew what
O. church bell was-some OF US
did-for there was one in the
West Topsham meeting house in the
next village, and it was o whopper:.
You could near hear it ring mile!
But it didn't weigh q ton, even, nor
auater OF it, and when the school. ma
am said that Moscow bell weighed
more than our great big one-story,
painless schoolhouse we simply
scratched our heads and grinned. But
here is the bell. The school book
story undertook the fact-books some.
times dot weighs four hundred and
forty-four thousand pounds, or two
hundred and twenty-five tons. lt
rests upon stout stone base, through
which you enter by door. The
dome above your head is twenty feet;
The bell was hung, they say, but iell
and broke O. fragment from its rim.
The fragment weighs eleven
tons, and shows q thickness
OF two feet. The greatest circumfer'
ence is sixty-eight feet; it's height TWEEN
ty-six feet and four inches.
The other sights consists OF churches,
palaces, and treasured things within
the Kremlin. This is the old-time
fort-walled stoutly about. This was
in early days the entire city. Here
lived the the czars, the priests, the
generals-the soldiers. Here within
the church was all the treasures kept
an old time oriental custom OF the
pagan age; here to were people Judged
and execution held-here the heart and
central strength OF Russia. AS the
city grew more walls were added, but
the old Kremlin walls were kept intact;
and now. as you enter there through
the holy gate, beneath the embiems
OF the church, you must remove your
hat-so does the emperor-so all his
subjects-all who visit here.
The palace here is very grand-has
many rooms and lofty halls aglow
with polish, glass and gold. To take
you through these halls and rooms
and corridors would be to travel miles
and miles and write for months and
months. They cover many acres
filed with furniture and many curious
things; with beds and bedding-costly.
inlaid floors, arabuesques and gilded
work-with carvings, tiles, armorial
shields, great stables, carriages and
luxurious outfits OF all sorts; winter
garden far above the street luxuriant
in palm and vine and exuberant trop-
ic plants-aglow with tropic heat here
in this frozen realm-a play-room for
the queen who comes not often here
all this for the imperial home, but
very rarely occupied. The treasury
is very spacious-very rich in richest
gems, in crowns and sceptres, hits
and ieweled clothes that here are gath
cred up to make a museum for folks
to come and see. A car is crowned
his crown and scepter-all his cost
lest things and gems find lodgment
here. Even the coronation clothes oil
Mr.. and Mrs. Car are worn no more,
but hung up here to look at all the
ages. Here in this regal show, are
many a costly coach and sledge, built
for the coronation pageant-to be
used no more-no end OF costliest
luxury OF which you tire very soon
and wish for something good and
plain.
Here in the Kremlin churches lie the
royal bones OF all the czars and wives
down to Great Peters day-here
stored away in great stone collins
numbering the fioor-o'er cast with
purple velvets trimmed with golden
cuffs-fenced in with gilded posts and
rails-waiting in royal state amidst
the masses OF the church, among the
relics OF the shrines, among the pic
lures OF the saints-the daily ceremo-
nials-waiting in state the Judgment
day.
The whole church is q cleaning
glory of polished granite, marbles,
costly malachite, and lapis lazuli;
masses of finest porphyry, such as is
used in Roman churches only sparing-
ly; masses OF Finnish granite; columns
OF Siberian verde antique, black mar
H., IT he liUht UIOlaf